Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Petuniaxc3x97hybrida cultivar Wespecawhite.
The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Petunia plant, botanically known as Petuniaxc3x97hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Wespecawhitexe2x80x99.
The new Petunia is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor is Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany. The new Petunia originated from a cross-pollination made by the Inventor of a proprietary Petunia seedling selection, not patented, as the female, or seed parent, identified as code number 98K6384-340 with a proprietary Petunia seedling selection, not patented, as the male, or pollen, parent, identified as code number 98P040. The new Petunia was selected by the Inventor in 2000 in a controlled environment in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany since 2001, has shown that the unique features of this new Petunia are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
Plants of the cultivar Wespecawhite have not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Wespecawhitexe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Wespecawhitexe2x80x99 as a new and distinct Petunia cultivar:
1. Cascading and roughly spherical growth habit.
2. Freely branching plant habit.
3. Freely flowering habit.
4. Small leaves.
5. Single white-colored flowers with violet-colored blush and purple-colored venation.
Plants of the new Petunia are more freely branching, have larger flowers, and have flowers of a different color than plants of the female parent. Plants of the new Petunia have smaller leaves, shorter internodes and smaller flowers than plants of the male parent.
Plants of the cultivar Wespecawhite can be compared to plants of the Petunia cultivar Wespemab, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 14,165. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Wespemab, differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia were shorter than plants of the cultivar Wespemab.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had lighter green-colored leaves than plants of the cultivar Wespemab.
3. Plants of the new Petunia had leaves with shorter petioles than plants of the cultivar Wespemab.
4. Plants of the new Petunia had shorter sepals than plants of the cultivar Wespemab.
5. Plants of the new Petunia had longer peduncles than plants of the cultivar Wespemab.
6. Flower color of the new Petunia was different than flower color of the cultivar Wespemab.
Plants of the cultivar Wespecawhite can also be compared to plants of the Petunia cultivar Weswei, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,595. However in side-by-side comparisons conducted in Sxc3xcdlohn-Oeding, Germany, plants of the new Petunia and the cultivar Weswei differed in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller leaves than plants of the cultivar Weswei.
2. Plants of the new Petunia had smaller sepals than plants of the cultivar Weswei.
3. Plants of the new Petunia had shorter peduncles than plants of the cultivar Weswei.
4. Flowers of the new Petunia were smaller than flowers of the cultivar Weswei.
5. Anthers of flowers of the new Petunia and the cultivar Weswei differed in coloration.